The Octagon Blog

activ8, the Octagon’s learning and participation department, have been working on a project with two groups of young people: The Company (actors & production) and Generate (writers). The three year project has been sponsored by Bruntwood and involves a partnership with Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

The project will see the group learn the different aspects and skills that go into ensuring a production makes the stage – including Front of House, Tickets, Stage Management, and Marketing.  The young people that make up this group are currently working on a production that will be performed at the Octagon theatre and other venues.

They took a couple of minutes out of their busy schedule to let us in on a few secrets of what they’re up to to give you a taste of what’s to come and, trust me, it’s exciting stuff!!

“Let us introduce ourselves…

We’re a group of secondary school kids who have been working on a touring company project. We have worked on many skills so far from sound and lighting to stage management and on acting more recently! There was a group that wrote the script, called Generate, and The Company has now split into actors and production team.

The production team is working on a number of areas of the production including: marketing, costume, props, and tickets. Over Christmas the actors have been learning lines and getting ready to perform as we enter our final stages of rehearsal whilst the production team is busy working on posters, programmes and the flyers. They have also started to source props.

The exciting news is that we now have confirmed dates for our tour:
Friday 16^th March –  Octagon Theatre  4 – 6pm
Tuesday 20^th March – Sutton Community Centre  6 – 8pm
Friday 23^rd March – St. Matthews Church, Halliwell  5 – 7pm
Wednesday 28^th March – Willows Community Centre  4.30 – 5.30pm

We will be back soon with images and more updates on the progress of our touring production!

Until next time,
The Company x”

The production they’re working on is based on a group of teenagers who are involved in a murder and we see how they try their best to keep what they know a secret! Friendships will be tested and consciences will be questioned! Until the show opens the group will be keeping us posted on their developments!

Watch this space!

Happy New Year!

On Saturday 7 January I joined the lovely Elizabeth Newman, Associate Director, and the eight playwrights of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for the first Investigate Day of 2012 – and boy it was a great insight to the work that takes place behind the scenes.

For those who don’t know what an Octagon Investigate Day entails then here’s a quick explanation: they provide you with an opportunity to join actors, directors and theatre specialists in a full day event to explore and discuss some of the burning issues behind the Octagon’s programme of plays.

The eight playwrights who adapted the classic story included: Anna Clarkson, Julia Hogan, Chris Hoyle, Terry Hughes, Mark Murphy, Eve Steele, Jill Stephenson and Jennifer Tucket. They discussed the art of collaborative writing and answered questions from the audience. Here are a few interesting quotes that I took from the day:

Julia Hogan: “The first set involved us all sitting down together to go through the whole book and pick out key points that were to be in the production. We made the decision quite quickly, and without difficulty, that it was going to be set in Bolton instead of Kansas. We had to work out how long each scene would last.  Joining the scenes together wasn’t difficult, it was ensuring that the voices of the characters were the same throughout according to how eight different people see each character!”

Question from audience: “Who decided who was writing each scene?”

JH: “The writers selected which scenes they each wanted to work on and then Elizabeth ensured they were shared fairly amongst the team however it worked out quite well as we all wanted to work on different areas.”

Terry Hughes: “We had to ensure certain things happened in each scene, for example in the storm scene we had to get across the relationship between Dorothy and her Aunt and Uncle as this was key to the rest of the story. When you see what you wrote in production it was very rewarding.”

Anna Clarkson: “We had to get the words right so that everyone could understand from 5 year olds to 105 year olds. I liked the use of ‘difficult’ words so that children could aspire to understanding what they mean.

Elizabeth Newman: “The characters explain certain words in the show to enable children to learn throughout the process.”

Eve Steele: “The set had to be taken into consideration when writing as it was in the round and you couldn’t have characters doing certain actions that wouldn’t fit into the theatre space.”

Chris Hoyle: “We were never told we couldn’t do something, that our ideas could be too big, Elizabeth [Newman] made this clear that we could put forward any and all our ideas – the technical side came later down the line.”

Elizabeth Newman: “At one point Shetland ponies and smells of candyfloss came into the equation.”

Why Bolton?

Mark Murphy: “We decided early on – it freed us as writers and made it wide open. We could make local references and use jokes that didn’t tie us to the book.”

Eve Steele: “We didn’t want people referring back to the film.”

Anna Clarkson: “The adults were more precious about the songs than the children, who are more open. The song about Bolton is one of the most powerful, emotional, points of the production. It’s not the place where she’s from which is the issue/moral, but the message is that you value what you have in and around you – family, love, a home.”

As you can see I gained a huge insight into the process, and could have continued! I can’t wait for the next Investigate Day for our forthcoming production: Alfie.

Thanks to Elizabeth, the playwrights and production team for providing us with an amazing show! Well, it’s not the best-selling festive show in the history of the Octagon Theatre for nothing!!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz closes this Saturday and so I’m going to see the show one last time! I think there are a few tickets left but obviously you’ll have to be super quick if you want to catch it. I’m going to enjoy the performance even more now as I know what to look out for and the reasoning behind some important decisions; such as why it was set in Bolton, how they merged each scene together to ensure character consistency and how the music/ songs were created.

Where are my manners?!

I thought it was about time that I introduced myself…how rude of me not to have done it sooner?!

I’m a newbie to the Octagon Theatre team but I’ve been made to feel right at home and the past month and a half has flown by!!

So I thought…what better way for you to get to know me than being put in the spotlight with a Bolton Backstage ‘interview’?

So here you go:

Name
Anna Babilinski (@AnnaBabilinski)

Hometown
Born in Manchester, but now live in Leigh.

What do you do?
I’m the Marketing and Press Assistant, making up one quarter of the Communications Team.

How long have you been at it?
I’ve only been at the Octagon for just over a month but so far it’s been fab – everyone is lovely and I can’t wait to learn more and develop!

What was your very first role in the theatre?
This is my first role in the theatre but hopefully not the last!

Have you got qualifications?
BA Hons in Business and Public Relations

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
I worked as part of the Marketing team for a Manchester charity with my main responsibilities being to oversee the events and PR of the organisation.

How did you make the move to working in theatre?
I saw the job advertised and after having read the Job Spec I knew it was for me! I was ready for a change in direction in my career and knew that I would also be able to expand new and exciting skills at the Octagon…so I went for it!

What did you want to be when you grew up?
An athlete…I trained hard as a 100m sprinter but due to injuries had to give up!

What do you do all day?
My role involves quite a lot of day to day jobs and I’m still learning how the Octagon works! It is my job to arrange interviews for the cast and creative team members, with the press, to help with the promotion of the production. I will assist cast members on each interview and also research into other print/online publications and radio stations to further promote productions. I’ll liaise with the press for each press night which involves organising their tickets and greeting them on arrival.

I write up and send out the weekly newsletters that go out to all our customers and update the website with news and events. I will be researching and writing up regular posts for the blog which will involve behind the scenes info and exciting Octagon news!

Other jobs include: reading papers and online publications, recording articles relevant to the Octagon Theatre and creating press packs, which includes all the press coverage each show receives, for the cast and team at the end of each production. Also, coordinate mailouts; arrange the Front of House displays and ensure that they are updated on a regular basis. I will also work on organising our Sponsors Gala Nights which also includes being their host for the evening.

That’s not all…there’s still a lot for me to learn yet!

What’s the best thing about your job?
Remember I’ve only been here a month! The people I work with are great and I can’t wait to meet more new people, including the cast and team of future shows! I’m also looking forward to being part of the development of the Marketing Strategies for each production and seeing the result of our work at the end! I also love how each day is never the same.

And the worst?
No negatives – apart from the fact that I’m the newbie!

What’s your dream job in theatre?
It would be in a similar role to what I’m doing now – but ask me again in a year’s time and I might have a better answer for you!

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Work hard, ask questions and offer to do any job/task at least once even if it’s not part of your role, this way you will learn and build up valuable skills! Work experience is so important and volunteering within an organisation, department or role in what you want to do can sometimes prove to be essential! Oh, and one more thing – make sure you enjoy it!

Click Me!

Have listen to a snippet of the cast singing along to one of the new songs in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz…be warned it’s really catchy so you may get it stuck in your head – which we won’t take responsibility for!

Here’s an insight into The Kingdom of Oz Storytelling Playgrounds (one of the Octagon’s BoltON events) from Jonathan McHugh who is currently working closely with Elizabeth Newman, as an Intern, on the scheme at the Octagon Theatre:

“Let me first start by saying what a wonderful day this was! All the children involved seemed to have a brilliant time and to all get involved with tasks. There was also lots of working together and helping each other which is always great to see.

When I got to the Octagon, the room was already set up with a paddling pool full of coloured balls, mats and grass patches to sit on for story time, and lots of other colourful and interesting things scattered around, the whole room looked very intriguing and very busy, and that was before the children turned up.

The first playground

For the first half of the playground I was mostly helping Elizabeth and Lauren (Hamilton – Assistant Director) by handing out sheets of paper to draw pictures on, handing out pens, collecting finished pictures and pegging them up for everyone to see. While I was doing this the children heard the story, drew what they thought Dorothy and her Aunt & Uncle looked like, and then dressed up as Munchkins using the costumes on the clothing rail at the back of the Studio that was lit with wonderful colourful lights.

During the second half of the playground it was more about helping the young people, we gave them the task of making masks, and so I helped with cutting, stapling, sticking, and making the card bits into masks with ribbon for them. I really enjoyed this; it was like spending time with my Goddaughter back home, except x20 or so instead, so it was a bit more high energy and a lot less simple. The children made dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs and even an Angry Bird; I was very impressed with how well they all worked towards the task and how much they all helped one another.

After the mask-making it was time to finish the story, while I finished off hole punching and threading the last few masks. Lastly the children all wrote a wish on a sparkling heart and threw it into the wishing pool, and then it was time to leave.

A quick tidy up and reset of the room, some frantic photocopying and cutting, and it was time for group two.

The second playground

Again during this session I spent the first half aiding Elizabeth and Lauren in the handing out of paper, pens etc, and followed again by pegging up the pictures while the children dressed as Munchkins. This was a much more energetic audience, the children were on average younger and all had lots to say, a large number of them had read the book or seen the film, so were quite excited to tell everyone the answer to questions!

For the second half of the storytelling we made models out of play-dough, again during this time I helped the young people to create all sorts of things out of the play-dough, some wanting Lions, other’s wanting Scarecrows or Tin Men, telling me they couldn’t make the shape and asking me to help them (not that I was much better at it to be honest!). Then we separated the colours of Oz, taking the coloured balls out of the wishing pool and organising them into hoops on the floor, again I helped with this as there were a lot of balls!

We finished the day by telling the end of the story and helping the last few children get their pictures to take home or finish off their play-dough models to show to their mum’s and dad’s.

We took the set down and tidied up the room, all of us completely shattered, but I’m sure all of us feeling like we’d had a good day. We took some of the wishes to put on the notice board, there were some very interesting ones, including a wish to go to Llandudno!!

Overall I really enjoyed the day and am really looking forward to seeing what other experiences this BoltON internship will bring me.”

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

This year’s festive production of  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a new adaptation, written by our Incubate New Writing Group. One of the writers, Julia Hogan, has written a post on her experiences of the process.

“I am one of the eight writers who were commissioned by the Octagon to adapt the book the Wonderful Wizard of Oz for the festive show. We all knew each other from being in Incubate, the Octagon’s new writing group. There was a certain onus to get started as the poster was up on the side of the building before we put pen to paper!

The process

Firstly we read the book, and mapped out the key dramatic elements that we felt should be included.  Then we were allocated sections to write, I had the poppy field and the field mice.

There were many stages, but once the whole play was put together various writers were allocated parts to ‘through line’- to make sure a consistent voice, characteristics and personality was there throughout.  Obviously it was really important not see the ‘joins’; for each writer’s section to merge seamlessly into the next.

Elizabeth then would do the next ‘merge’, and we would get together and read it through, commenting on what worked and didn’t.  At the end of the day the next jobs would be reallocated.

Everyone had to accept times when their work was unceremoniously scrapped, and this was done with good grace, I think we all knew that the finished work was bigger than anyone of us.

The music

When it came to the music, I think all of us were daunted by the prospect of writing songs, and some of us felt sceptical about being able to create anything that compared in any way with the iconic film.   Barbara, the musical director, inspired us with her enthusiasm and competence and gave us a taste of what she was aiming to achieve with the music; a upbeat, happy, foot tapping feeling. As, Barbara put the songs that we had written to music she altered and added lyrics and merged writer’s versions of songs to create new, truly collaborative versions of the songs.

When Barbara showed the cast the hand actions for the ‘Follow the Road’ song, and watched them struggling to coordinate the actions with the song and their harmonies, I thought, ‘how will they ever learn that?’, by the time I returned 4 days later they were lined up eager and ready to practice again and were amazingly competent.  The children were on their break and sat on the floor watching their adult friends, practising along at the same time.

Starting rehearsals

I was lucky enough to sit in on two rehearsals and was overwhelmed by how the work we had done was now being brought to life by this collection of individuals working as a team.  I hadn’t realised before, although those more involved with the staging of theatre will find this ludicrous, that the show is such a collaborative event.  When we were writing it, it felt as if we were the most important part of the process, along with Elizabeth, the director and  dramaturg.   Then I realised how vitally important Barbara the musical director was, and then, in rehearsal, when I met the cast, and the young cast, and the assistant director and the person who sits in and minds the children, then I really understood how it was the collective effort that brings the words on the page to life.  I was excited and exhilarated. Unfortunately I am unable to attend any more rehearsals but I came away with the songs in my head and I cannot WAIT to see the finished piece.”

Although, we expect a great deal of commitment from our cast I don’t think any recent cast remember has been so follically challenged as Kieran Hill, currently appearing on stage in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He puts hair chameleon David Beckham to shame so we thought it was worth doing a quick round up!

Here he is in his first role on the Octagon stage (A Midsummer Nights Dream) – hirsute’s you sir!

Bottom Hair!

And a drastic change for Comedians. I am not sure he found this one that funny…

Comedy hair?

A military short back and sides for The Hired Man.

The H(a)ired Man...

To tie-in with the 1940s for A Streetcar Named Desire it was the popular side parting – mimicking such stars as Spencer Tracey and Humphrey Bogart.

Have you seen this cat?...

And like those 1940s starlets, here he shows they were not the only ones partial to the peroxide (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?).

Does this gentlemen prefer blonde?

The team in their Thinking Caps

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

I heard this quote on Radio 4 this morning this morning and it reminded me about our visit to the People’s History Museum in Manchester for our departmental away day. It was a great place to go to to do some thinking. The building is fantastic, our lunch in the cafe was delicious (I am definitely one that believes food for the stomach aids food for the mind) and we were surrounded by the stories of people who are proof of the sentiment above.

So our small group of citizens spent the day thinking about the Octagon’s future and how we can change the world or at least our small part of it. The ideas are still simmering away and we’ll keep you updated on developments.

In the meantime, here are just some of the many, many things to see that I captured on our tour.

Worth considering the message of colour when designing our print.

The political significance of colours

Glad to see that our logo is in the colour of courage and revolution on a background of purity. Fitting I think…

Made you realise how far technology has come and how much it has shrunk.

How iPods used to be...

You couldn’t fit that in your bag. It also made us have all sorts of thoughts for this show

Ideas map

I also liked how the above was communication, information and art! Three things we are quite fond of in the Comms Dept of the Octagon Theatre. It was a fun, useful, inspiring and stimulating day and we are looking forward to the next season which opens with a play about how a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens try and change the world…

We recently had an internal launch of our new season where staff and volunteers met to hear about what’s coming up at the Octagon from September. One of our kind volunteers gave a little talk on his experience of our Investigate Days and he spoke so well I asked him to write about his experiences for the blog.

Sweeney Todd Music Director: Tom Attwood

What does an Investigate Day at the Octagon look like?

Well, there isn’t a standard format but we normally spend the morning (usually from about 10.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) delving into the issues behind the current performance showing at the theatre. In the afternoon you can watch the performance and attend the post play discussion.

Typically, the morning session it will involve a structured but informal and inclusive discussion involving director, actors, writers, and others (sometimes academics) but most importantly the audience of theatre goers who want to know more about the current production and its context. This flexible framework includes talks by experts, academics and enthusiasts. It can incorporate workshops, examples of rehearsal, directing and acting techniques as well as master classes and read throughs/performances of new and established plays – examples of the latter include Alfie (to be staged in the forthcoming season) and the resurgent award winning The Enemies Within, set in the mid 1980s Miners’ Strike.

Secret Thoughts and Sweeney Todd

I want to concentrate on the two most recent Investigate Days to illustrate different examples of how they work. Secret Thoughts ran for most of May and is a collaborative production with David Lodge, a leading author. Although his 2001 novel, “Thinks” includes more characters and some additional layers, the play Secret Thoughts merged as a two hander for stage.

The Investigate Day explored the dynamics of script and performance evolution not only through the rehearsal process but well into its run. Changes were made following suggestions by writer, director, actors and audience members. We learned that this process is part of the creative and commercial process aimed at ensuring the artistic success of a prestigious premiere by a renowned writer.

Although David Lodge could not be with us in person for the morning session, he shared his thoughts on the play’s development and meaning via recorded video interview with Elizabeth Newman. The audience discussion was informed and enlightened by Director, David Thacker and augmented by the cast of Rob Edwards (Ralph Messenger) and Kate Coogan (Helen Reid) whose splendidly powerful and emotional performances we were privileged to witness at the subsequent matinee performance.

Another wonderfully successful season at the Octagon culminated in the dark humoured tragedy, the musical Sweeney Todd. The focus of the morning Investigate session was on Stephen Sondheim who wrote the music and lyrics. My knowledge of Sondheim was limited and I have to say that I thought he was someone whose music didn’t appeal to me. Then I began to look at one or two of the songs he has written – ‘Send in the Clowns’ (now very much associated with Judi Dench) and ‘Losing my Mind’ (Liza Minnelli and the Pet Shop Boys is the one in my collection!). So I thought he can’t be all bad. Most of the Investigate Days tend to be in the main theatre or the smaller studio. This one was in the Octagon Bar (no alcohol at 10.30 in the morning!). This investigation of the music, lyrics and life of Stephen Sondheim had more of the feel of a Masterclass by Tom Attwood (@tattwood), the Musical Director of this production of Sweeney Todd and massively knowledgeable about the composer’s work.

Tom illustrated Sondheim’s techniques, genius and humour mainly through playing excerpts of his music on piano and showing parts of the two South Bank shows made about Sondheim, the most recent of which was last year (you can find the programme on Youtube, split into 7 segments). Audience members were encouraged to ask questions and as a special treat we had four of the Sweeney Todd cast performing their own Sondheim favourites from other musicals. Tom’s enthusiasm and ability to demystify complex musical themes and ideas made this one of the most enjoyable investigate sessions followed by the matinee and post-performance discussion. It certainly changed my view of Sondheim and my appreciation of his craft, not to mention the extent of his musical influences and repertoire.
I’ve been fortunate to attend most of the Investigate Days over the last two years and without exception I have not only been able to better enjoy the performance but these days have made me appreciate and understand the play and its author. The great thing about theatre is you can have the 3D experience without having to wear the glasses!

These morning sessions come at a bargain £5 and you can get a combined ticket that includes the matinee performance for around £16.50.

Dave Jones (theatre goer, volunteer and friend of the Octagon)

More exciting news from behind the scenes of Sweeney Todd… Clara Darcy fills us in on her week of ‘cutting-edge’ theatre; when Director Elizabeth Newman enlisted the help of the professionals to get the most authentic performances possible from the cast…

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Forensic Scientist Helen Rea (left) and Ruth Alexander Rubin, who plays Mrs Lovett

Well, week 3 has been an amazingly exciting one, with guest visits, field trips and more! The guest visit referred to was none other than Manchester’s answer to Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows, Manchester’s finest CSI blood spatter experts, Helen and Craig from LGC Forensics, who came to visit rehearsals on Tuesday to talk to us about the patterns of blood spatter, the physical and anatomical realities of cutting someone’s throat (yep, there were pictures involved! Urgh!) and much more gruesome details!

Ruth Alexander Rubin and Tobias Beer

The field trip referred to was to a Barbers in Bolton and only myself and Toby from the cast got to go on this one, along with Lesley Hutchison, our wonderful movement director, and Helen Jones from Marketing. We met the fabulous Ignazio, from Oggi and Washington Barbers on Great Moor Street, who showed us how to do a skilled, traditional wet shave with the traditional razor that mine and Toby’s characters will be using in the show – although Toby’s are somewhat different! I won’t give the game away but they are stunning! Look out for them if you come to see the show! So thank you to Ignazio too, although I doubt we’ll ever look as elegant and skilful as he did when he shaved! Mine’s a bit more like a Monty Python comedy tribute to a shave at the moment, but hey, I’m learning!

Ignazio Alaimo from Oggi & Washington Barbers shows Tobias how it's done!

And so, we ended week 3 with the very first run-through of the whole show with the whole of the Community Company as well. And boy have we got a show for you! Of course, it needs tweaking in places, and inevitably it becomes more difficult when we move onto the stage and start adding technical problems, but we have another week in the rehearsal room to polish before we move onto the stage. Things can only get better! xxx